The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-12-05
DEFENDING THE DOMAIN.
A HORDE OF SCHEMERS TRYING
TO GOBBLg 1T UP.

81 ,O79 Entries Cancelled in the Last
Two and a Half Years Repeal of the
Presumption Laws, Timber Culture
Acts, and the Rel nquishment Acts
Recomm ended
WASHINGTON, Dec 4--The following are
extracts of some of the most interesting
points in the annual report of Mr.. Lamar,
the Secretary of the Interior: perhaps
the most difficult and important duty with
which this department is charged is the adj
minstration Of the public land system.
Under existing laws it is apparent that the
area of our public land is rapidly diminish
ing. This would not be an evil if the lands
were passing from the government to seats
of actual occupation by bona
fide settlers, or bona tide pur-
chaSers for purposes of settlement.
But the facts are known to be otherwise.
From March 5, 1885, to Oct. /, 1887, the
number of entries Cancelled for fraud, lille
gality, abandonment, and other causes
amounted to 91,07S, embracing an area of
IA, ,23S ,9l304 acres, making, with the
Cancelled land grants, an aggregate of
lands restored to the public domain of As
663, ,34 acres. In addition there are suits in
the United States courts and matters pend
ing before the department, involving the
question of the restoration Of many millions
more acres, amounting in the aggregate to
9, ,499, ,4S0. 10.
From the report of the Commissioner of
the General Land Office it appears that the
number of acres of land disposed of during
the past fiscal year, under the various acts
of Congress authorizing sales, entries and
selections, aggregates 25,l11 ,400.S, of
which 6,63729 acres were Indian lands,
5,5l1 ,S07. 81 railroad selections, and 2,109,-
43l. 43 selections under other grants; the ag
gregate amount showing an increase of
4, S62, ,524. 55 acres as compared with the
previous year. The receipts from disposal
of the public lands were SO, 1888, ,92l. ~; from
sales of Indian lands, 81 ,4S4, ,3O2.30, total
of $12, ,26S, .02, an increase over the
previous year of 1924, ,727.0S. To which is
TO be added 1921 received on account of
timber depredations, and $l2, ,493. S5 received
for certified copies of records furnished by
the General Land Office, making receipts of
that bureau from all sources $l2, ,2S9, ,00S.S7,
The number of patents issued during the
year upon agricultural lands was "a, ,558, an
Increase of 4, ,073 over the previous year, ac-
cording to the report of the Commissioner,
but decrease, as compared with 1885, of
1854.
PRE-EMPTIoN AND HOMESTEAD LAWS.
respectfully but earnestly reiterate my
advice that you recommend the immediate
and total repeal of the pre-emption laws,
timber culture acts, and the relinquishment
acts, and add thereto the cash entry laws
and the desert land law. More than quar-
ter of century has elapsed since the pass
age of the homestead law. Its operations,
at least during the last decade, have shown
it to be the wlsest and most honest method
of disposing of the agricultural public
lands, embracing all the advantages of the
pre-emption system without its acknowl-
edged facilities for fraud and abuse.
UNLAWFUL ENCLOSURE OF THE PUBLIC
LANDS.
The work of returning to the people the
large areas of the public land hitherto lille
gally appropriated by corporations and in
dividuals engaged in the cattle business on
the plains, has progressed most successf Aly
during the past year. The papers trans
mitted from the General Land Office show
that 465 Illegal Enclosures, ,aggregating in area
nearly ,000, 900 acres, have been reported. In
| 133 of these cases, involving 3,275, 600 acres,
| proceedings have been instituted, and in 1855
cases the special agents report the removal,
complete or in progress, of the illegal fences,
throwing open to public use and occupancy
| 1894 900 acres.
This does not include the work of the two
| inspectors, Messrs. Bowers and Hunter,
New Mexico and Wyoming. Through their
agency fences have been removed in l19
cases, embracing an area of 100000 acres
of public land, making a total OF nearly s.
000, 900 acres restored to the public domain.
PRIVATE GRANTS.
| Another subject which, | would respect
| fully suggest, demands immediate legisla-
ton is the matter of private grants claimed
to be derived from the Spanish or Mexican
| governments. The extent and number of
| the unconfirmed claims cannot be accu-
rately stated, as such claims are being con-
| tinually made, and those heretofore pre-
sented seem to grow enormously in area
with each passing year in the issuance of
| patents thereon. At the present time it is
approximately estimated that the amount
| of public land actually reserved from entry
| and settlement because of such claims is a
little short of 6,000,000 acres.
THE PRESERVATION OF PUBLIC TIMBER.
The vital necessity for legislation looking
| to the preservation of the timber resources
| of the country becomes more urgent every
year. The annual loss to the government
! by the destruction of timber by fire alone is
added the more important but secondary
| loss which follows the destruction of the
| timber by floods, land-slides, climatic
| changes of a permanent character, and the
violations of the law by depredators upon
the timber on public lands.
PUBLIC LAND STRIP.
Because of this anomalous condition, this
portion of the public domain should receive
the prompt attention of Congress. This
tract of land is bounded on the east by the
Indian Territory, on the north by Kansas
and Colorado, on the west by New Mexico
and on the south by Texas 1t is a little
over 1853 miles long from east to west, and a
fraction over "a miles in width from north
to south; contains 5,739 square miles, OF
3,672, $40 acres Excluded from the bounda-
ries Of these States and this Territory, it has
always been outside Of any political juris
diction. II is simply a part of the public
domain, over which the land laws have not
been extended, and within the limits OF
which no tribunal, civil or criminal, has
jurisdiction to protect property or punish
| crime.
INDIAN AFFAIRS.
commend to your attentive considera-
tion the operations of the Indian Bureau as
set forth in the accompanying report OF the
| Commissioner of Indian Affairs.
The first, or civilized, embracing the five
| civilized tribes of the Indian Territory and
the Six Nations Of New York, whose mem
beIs generally are furthest advanced in
manners and morals and in the arts and in
dustries of civilized life, self-supporting
| with written constitutions and laws and
| well-cstablished rules and methods of gov
ernment; including also many individuals